Decision tree accelerated CTU partition algorithm for intra prediction in versatile video coding.

Versatile video coding (VVC) achieves enormous improvement over the advanced high efficiency video coding (HEVC) standard due to the adoption of the quadtree with nested multi-type tree (QTMT) partition structure and other coding tools. However, the computational complexity increases dramatically as well. To tackle this problem, we propose a decision tree accelerated coding tree units (CTU) partition algorithm for intra prediction in VVC. Firstly, specially designated image features are extracted to characterize the coding unit (CU) complexity. Then, the trained decision tree is employed to predict the partition results. Finally, based on our newly designed intra prediction framework, the partition process is early terminated or redundant partition modes are screened out. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm could achieve around 52% encoding time reduction for various test video sequences on average with only 1.75% Bjontegaard delta bit rate increase compared with the reference test model VTM9.0 of VVC.

Examining the effect of information channel on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

Hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine remains high among the US population. Now that the vaccine is available to priority populations, it is critical to convince those that are hesitant to take the vaccine. Public health communication about the vaccine as well as misinformation on the vaccine occurs through a variety of different information channels. Some channels of information are more commonly found to spread misinformation. Given the expansive information environment, we sought to characterize the use of different media channels for COVID-19 vaccine information and determine the relationship between information channel and vaccine acceptance. We used quota sampling of vaccine priority groups [N = 2,650] between December 13 and 23, 2020 and conducted bivariate chi-squared tests and multivariable multinomial logistic regression analyses to determine the relative impact of channels of information on vaccine acceptance. We found traditional channels of information, especially National TV, National newspapers, and local newspapers increased the likelihood of vaccine acceptance. Individuals who received information from traditional media compared to social media or both traditional and social media were most likely to accept the vaccine. The implications of this study suggest social media channels have a role to play in educating the hesitant to accept the vaccine, while traditional media channels should continue to promote data-driven and informed vaccine content to their viewers.

Why the backfire effect does not explain the durability of political misperceptions.

Previous research indicated that corrective information can sometimes provoke a so-called "backfire effect" in which respondents more strongly endorsed a misperception about a controversial political or scientific issue when their beliefs or predispositions were challenged. I show how subsequent research and media coverage seized on this finding, distorting its generality and exaggerating its role relative to other factors in explaining the durability of political misperceptions. To the contrary, an emerging research consensus finds that corrective information is typically at least somewhat effective at increasing belief accuracy when received by respondents. However, the research that I review suggests that the accuracy-increasing effects of corrective information like fact checks often do not last or accumulate; instead, they frequently seem to decay or be overwhelmed by cues from elites and the media promoting more congenial but less accurate claims. As a result, misperceptions typically persist in public opinion for years after they have been debunked. Given these realities, the primary challenge for scientific communication is not to prevent backfire effects but instead, to understand how to target corrective information better and to make it more effective. Ultimately, however, the best approach is to disrupt the formation of linkages between group identities and false claims and to reduce the flow of cues reinforcing those claims from elites and the media. Doing so will require a shift from a strategy focused on providing information to the public to one that considers the roles of intermediaries in forming and maintaining belief systems.

Automatic detection of influential actors in disinformation networks.

The weaponization of digital communications and social media to conduct disinformation campaigns at immense scale, speed, and reach presents new challenges to identify and counter hostile influence operations (IOs). This paper presents an end-to-end framework to automate detection of disinformation narratives, networks, and influential actors. The framework integrates natural language processing, machine learning, graph analytics, and a network causal inference approach to quantify the impact of individual actors in spreading IO narratives. We demonstrate its capability on real-world hostile IO campaigns with Twitter datasets collected during the 2017 French presidential elections and known IO accounts disclosed by Twitter over a broad range of IO campaigns (May 2007 to February 2020), over 50,000 accounts, 17 countries, and different account types including both trolls and bots. Our system detects IO accounts with 96% precision, 79% recall, and 96% area-under-the precision-recall (P-R) curve; maps out salient network communities; and discovers high-impact accounts that escape the lens of traditional impact statistics based on activity counts and network centrality. Results are corroborated with independent sources of known IO accounts from US Congressional reports, investigative journalism, and IO datasets provided by Twitter.

Digital health strategies in the war against COVID-19 and beyond.

This editorial explores how technology has helped clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, from patient care to education, the changes that have been made and the numerous exciting possibilities of where technology can amalgamate with health care.

A case study exploring associations between popular media attention of scientific research and scientific citations.

The association between mention of scientific research in popular media (e.g., the mainstream media or social media platforms) and scientific impact (e.g., citations) has yet to be fully explored. The purpose of this study was to clarify this relationship, while accounting for some other factors that likely influence scientific impact (e.g., the reputations of the scientists conducting the research and academic journal in which the research was published). To accomplish this purpose, approximately 800 peer-reviewed articles describing original research were evaluated for scientific impact, popular media attention, and reputations of the scientists/authors and publication venue. A structural equation model was produced describing the relationship between non-scientific impact (popular media) and scientific impact (citations), while accounting for author/scientist and journal reputation. The resulting model revealed a strong association between the amount of popular media attention given to a scientific research project and corresponding publication and the number of times that publication is cited in peer-reviewed scientific literature. These results indicate that (1) peer-reviewed scientific publications receiving more attention in non-scientific media are more likely to be cited than scientific publications receiving less popular media attention, and (2) the non-scientific media is associated with the scientific agenda. These results may inform scientists who increasingly use popular media to inform the general public and scientists concerning their scientific work. These results might also inform administrators of higher education and research funding mechanisms, who base decisions partly on scientific impact.

When Parents Take Conflicts to Digital Media.

Over the past decade, there have been numerous cases around the world in which parents have used digital media to orchestrate public opposition to doctors' recommendations. Parents are not always "successful" with such efforts; these cases have mixed outcomes and, sometimes, unintended consequences for parents. In this article, we address the current lack of understanding of parents' goals, motivations, and rationalizations in initiating such campaigns. We analyze 12 cases in which parental digital media campaigns went viral that occurred between 2007 and 2018, with the aim of better understanding parents' motivations for going public. We identify 7 themes raised by parent-initiated digital media campaigns: (1) changing doctors' minds, (2) being heard, (3) feeling empowered, (4) buying more time, (5) raising public awareness, (6) feeling that they have done everything possible, and (7) financial gain. Greater attunement to these themes and what is driving parents in such conflicts may help to disrupt the highly adversarial narrative surrounding such cases. It may also inform how clinicians approach disagreements that cross a certain threshold of public interest at the bedside.

Media portrayal of illness-related medical crowdfunding: A content analysis of newspaper articles in the United States and Canada.

BACKGROUND: Medical crowdfunding is a growing phenomenon, and newspapers are publishing on the topic. This research analyzed how illness-related crowdfunding and crowdfunding campaigns have recently been represented in newspapers that are popular in the United States and Canada. METHODS: A sample of 336 articles about medical crowdfunding published during the two year time period from October 7, 2015 to October 6, 2017 was produced using a Factiva search of the English language newspapers with the largest Canadian and United States readership. A coding frame was developed for and applied to the sample to analyze content. RESULTS: Articles portrayed crowdfunding campaigns positively (43.75%) and neutrally (47.92%), but rarely negatively (4.76%). Articles mostly mentioned the crowdfunding phenomenon with a neutral characterization (93.75%). Few (8.63%) articles mentioned ethical issues with the phenomenon of crowdfunding. Ailments most commonly precipitating the need for a campaign included cancer (49.11%) and rare disease (as stated by the article, 36.01%). Most articles (83.04%) note where donations and contributions can be made, and 59.23% included a hyperlink to an online crowdfunding campaign website. Some articles (26.49%) mentioned a specific monetary goal for the fundraising campaign. Of the 70 (20.83%) articles that indicated the treatment sought may be inefficacious, was unproven, was experimental or lacked regulatory approval, 56 (80.00%) noted where contributions can be made and 36 (51.43%) hyperlinked directly to an online crowdfunding campaign. CONCLUSIONS: Crowdfunding campaigns are portrayed positively much more often than negatively, many articles promote campaigns for unproven therapies, and links directly to crowdfunding campaign webpages are present in most articles. Overall, crowdfunding is often either implicitly or explicitly endorsed.

Why and how community pharmacies should better use Facebook.

OBJECTIVE: To describe how independent and community pharmacies can better utilize Facebook to advertise their business and optimize health care communications with patients. DATA SOURCES: Not applicable. SUMMARY: Communication and advertising has changed dramatically over the past decade due to digital technologies. With Facebook leading the way, social media presents an excellent opportunity for independent and community pharmacies to utilize and grow their brand while connecting with patients and help improve public health. Pharmacy as a profession has been slower to uptake the use of social media when compared to other professions. Opportunity exists to utilize Facebook to better connect with patients, colleagues, and advertise pharmacy services. Research has identified several best Facebook practices designed to effectively engage a customer base such as content type/tone, posting frequency, and utilization of paid "boosts," in order to increase reach and better connect with patients and customers from the local community and even globally. CONCLUSION: Potential exists for independent and community pharmacies to utilize Facebook with respect to advertising, connecting with patients, and promoting public health care. When used effectively it has been shown to have a positive return on investment and help improve public health. In a rapidly changing and technological society, pharmacists must continue to adapt and stay informed of digital developments to remain a relevant and viable health care professional.

Incorporating media data into a model of infectious disease transmission.

Understanding the effect of media on disease spread can help improve epidemic forecasting and uncover preventive measures to slow the spread of disease. Most previously introduced models have approximated media effect through disease incidence, making media influence dependent on the size of epidemic. We propose an alternative approach, which relies on real data about disease coverage in the news, allowing us to model low incidence/high interest diseases, such as SARS, Ebola or H1N1. We introduce a network-based model, in which disease is transmitted through local interactions between individuals and the probability of transmission is affected by media coverage. We assume that media attention increases self-protection (e.g. hand washing and compliance with social distancing), which, in turn, decreases disease model. We apply the model to the case of H1N1 transmission in Mexico City in 2009 and show how media influence-measured by the time series of the weekly count of news articles published on the outbreak-helps to explain the observed transmission dynamics. We show that incorporating the media attention based on the observed media coverage of the outbreak better estimates the disease dynamics from what would be predicted by using media function that approximate the media impact using the number of cases and rate of spread. Finally, we apply the model to a typical influenza season in Washington, DC and estimate how the transmission pattern would have changed given different levels of media coverage.

Managing the consumption of death and digital media: The funeral director as market intermediary.

A growing number of companies are offering digital products and services for use in funerals. Drawing on interdisciplinary research in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, we explore how funeral directors operate as intermediaries for these digital products and services. We critically examine the popular framing of the funeral industry as a "conservative" business and examine how funeral directors actively mediate between their clients and the companies offering innovative products and services. This study provides an account of current developments in the funeral economy as well as a broader narrative about how funeral industry professionals have engaged with technology.

Value of Electronic Educational Media in Combatting Parasitic Diseases.

Parasitic diseases have plagued mankind throughout history, and even today parasites continue to cause disease, disability and death in millions of people worldwide. Targeted electronic educational media for bringing awareness to local inhabitants of endemic communities, including public health practitioners, are vital tools in the battle against parasitic diseases.

Implementing a small media intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening in primary care clinics.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the USA. In 2017, an estimated 135,420 people were diagnosed with CRC and 50,260 people died from CRC. Several screening modalities are recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), including annual stool tests that are usually completed at home and under-used compared with colonoscopy despite stated patient preferences for an alternative to colonoscopy. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends use of small media interventions (SMIs) to increase CRC screening and calls for a greater understanding of its independent impact on screening participation. This study tested whether a SMI increased the likelihood of participant return of a USPSTF recommended Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). In total, 804 individuals participated in a two-group, prospective randomized controlled trial. Descriptive statistics with chi-square tests compared differences in participant characteristics and return rates. Multivariable log-binomial modeling estimated combined effects of patient characteristics with FIT return rates. No differences in return rates were observed overall or by participant characteristics other than the year of enrollment. A multivariable model controlling for all covariates, found gender, insurance type, and regular place for healthcare to be significantly associated with return rates. Receipt of the SMI did not independently increase overall return rates but it may have improved the ease of completing the FIT by some participants, particularly women, those with insurance, and those with a regular place for healthcare.

Risco, biomedicalização e AIDS: cobertura jornalística sobr métodos biomédicos de prevenção ao HIV / Risk, biomedicalization and AIDS: news coverage of biomedical HIV prevention methods

Nas sociedades contemporâneas, marcadas pela valorização da saúde e pela medicalização, a mídia tem exercido papel central na construção do discurso do risco e na influência à eventual adoção de medidas preventivas pelos sujeitos. Esta tese analisa a cobertura d'O Globo e da Folha de S.Paulo acerca da circuncisão masculina, da PEP (profilaxia pós-exposição ao 111V), da PrFP (profilaxia pré-exposição ao 111V) e do TasP (tratamento como prevenção) como métodos preventivos ao 111V, desde o surgimento de cada um deles nos jornais até 31/12/2017. Empreendemos dois movimentos de análise. No primeiro, observamos: os jornalistas assinantes, as fontes mais ouvidas, os recursos gráficos mais utilizados, a quantidade de textos por método e sua distribuição no tempo, o tamanho médio dos espaços ocupados e a menção a outros métodos preventivos. Observamos somente para a PrEP: as editorias nas quais foi publicada, as chamadas de capa e a autoria dos textos opinativos. Em um segundo movimento de análise, sob o aporte da Análise de Discurso (Pêcheux e Orlandi), investigamos como a lógica do risco manifesta-se na cobertura d'O Globo acerca da PrEP, visando: a) identificar e problematizar o papel desempenhado pelo conceito de risco nas explicações sobre a epidemia, na definição das populações mais vulneráveis e na atribuição de responsabilidades individuais e coletivas na narrativa jornalística; b) mapear e contextualizar as principais questões priorizadas na cobertura e, por consequência, as silenciadas. Identificamos nos jornais um silenciamento sobre os métodos preventivos, marcado pelo baixo quantitativo de textos

A cobertura é motivada mais pelo ritmo das descobertas científicas e das ações dos organismos internacionais e estatais ligados à aids, em detrimento das ações, críticas e anseios dos movimentos sociais, dos profissionais do serviço público de saúde e das pessoas comuns, e a despeito dos interesses da indústria farmacêutica. Ao ouvir mais os representantes do saber especializado, os jornais privilegiam os sentidos por eles atribuídos ao risco e à aids. Na cobertura d'O Globo sobre a PrEP, o discurso do risco dá-se não pela retórica do pânico e do medo, que marcou o tom da imprensa no início da epidemia, mas por outras estratégias discursivas que incutem a responsabilidade individual pela saúde ­e que, portanto, culpabilizam o sujeito pela continuidade da epidemia, sobretudo aquele que se enquadra nas "populações-chave", por vezes também ainda designadas de 'grupos de risco"

Essa responsabilização individual dá-se em meio ao contexto neoliberal e de capitalismo de consumo, no qual convivem restrições ao orçamento público no enfrentamento à epidemia, ao lado do fomento a certo mercado, precipuamente de tecnologias biomédicas e farmacêuticas, que une o indivíduo responsável ao indivíduo consumidor ­ sobretudo de produtos que dialogam com seu prazer. Entretanto, também identificamos n'0 Globo discursos contra-hegemônicos, ligados à ideia de vulnerabilidade, que apontam para responsabilidades também coletivas no enfrentamento à epidemia e que questionam a excessiva biomedicalização da aids, entendida pelo fomento a métodos biomédicos preventivos como "balas mágicas" para solucionar esse problema de saúde pública, sem investimento em políticas que combatam as determinações sociais dele. (AU)

La prensa y la participación social frente a los desastres: desde el sismo de Oaxaca de 1787 al sismo de Tehuantepec de 2017 / A Imprensa E A Participação Social Diante Dos Desastres: Do Terremoto De Oaxaca De 1787 Ao Terremoto De Tehuantepec Em 2017 / The Press And Social Participation In The Face Of Disasters: From The Oaxaca Earthquake Of 1787 To The Tehuantepec Earthquake Of 2017

A través de su historia, México se ha caracterizado por ser un país vulnerable a la ocurrencia de diversos eventos de origen meteorológico y geofísico debido a su ubicación geográfica.

The press and social participation in the face of disasters: from the Oaxaca earthquake of 1787 to the Tehuantepec earthquake of 2017.

A imprensa e a participação social diante dos desastres: do terremoto de Oaxaca de 1787 ao terremoto de Tehuantepec em 2017.